The present embodiments relate to an operating method for a local coil for magnetic resonance applications.
Local coils may be used to receive magnetic resonance signals. The local coils may be connected by way of analog high-frequency cable connections to a control and evaluation device. The bandwidth that may be transmitted by way of the cable connections is dimensioned so that all the information may always be transmitted during measuring.
More recent research projects examine digital transmission (e.g., also by cableless local coils). With such approaches, the bandwidth for transmission from the local coil to the control and evaluation device may, in some instances, be smaller than the data rate of the magnetic resonance signal. Data transmission in real time is then no longer possible.
The German patent application DE 10 2010 022 522.3 describes a local coil for magnetic resonance applications. With the local coil, the received analog magnetic resonance signals are digitized and stored in digital form in a write-in sequence in an internal local coil memory. The stored digital magnetic resonance signals are read out of the internal local coil memory in the same sequence, in which the digital magnetic resonance signals are written into the internal local coil memory, and are transferred to the control and evaluation device. In DE 10 2010 022 522.3, the internal local coil memory is configured as a first in-first out (FIFO) memory (or is operated as such).
For many examinations and applications, the captured magnetic resonance signals need to be transferred to the control and evaluation device in real time, so that the control and evaluation device may process the magnetic resonance signals in real time and output the magnetic resonance signals to a user by way of a display device. Reference is made to catheter navigation and ablation procedures purely by way of example. If the magnetic resonance signals are to be transferred digitally for such applications, a very high data transmission rate and the very large bandwidth associated with this are required.